Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ensure that covid-19 catch-up funding for 16 to 19 year olds is not limited to students with low prior attainment in GCSE English and maths.
Catch-up funding for 16 to 19 year olds is provided through the 16-19 Tuition Fund. This is focused on supporting those young people who are at significant disadvantage and whose learning has been impacted most severely by the COVID-19 outbreak.
We targeted this funding among 16 to 19 year old students for those with low prior attainment because:
Those without GCSE English and/or maths at the expected standard at age 16 is the agreed measure used for disadvantage in 16 to 19 education and an established part of the 16 to 19 funding formula.
Funding is available to spend on those students without a grade 5 or above in English and/or maths GCSE. However, providers are required to prioritise support for students who have not achieved a grade 4 in English and/or maths. If providers have funding available within their allocations, they can consider whether any young people with a grade 4 also needs catch up support.
As further evidence emerges, we will consider if refinements to eligibility for future funding are needed to maximise its value and impact in providing catch-up support for 16 to 19 students.